Young Justice: Apocalypse
by Puterboy1
Summary: When Poison Ivy creates a virus that wipes out most of America's food crops and the Justice League is out of action, Nightwing must lead the team to survival in a world maddened by fear and anarchy. *Uploaded in honor of Season 3. Based on the 1970 motion picture "No Blade of Grass".*
1. Prologue

**The majority of this fanfic is based on the 1970 film** _ **No Blade of Grass**_ **also known as** _ **The Death of Grass**_ **directed by Cornel Wilde, and not upon the original novel by John Christopher or any other adaptation.**

Dr. Pamela Isley saw how the world worked like she had already seen its entire lifespan. By 2022, levels of pollution long gone since the first Earth Day had risen once again. Thanks to a recent battle with the Justice and Injustice Leagues in Washington that nearly destroyed the headquarters of the Environmental Protection Agency, the agency itself was teetering on the point of bankruptcy, if not for the government stepping in to supply everything it could for the destruction of both the agency and other buildings that fell victim to the attack.

But that wasn't the worst of her troubles.

Everywhere she looked, or sensed, she could imagine the repulsive sight of billowing smokestacks emitting toxic clouds, strip-mining, pesticides, oil spills, red tides soaked with dead water birds, starving citizens from third-world countries, cars producing deadly gasses from their engines and the industrial wastewater poisoning almost every life under the sea of Gotham Bay.

Even though she was safe in her botanical garden, killing other tormentors to the Green by during them into dogwood, the world outside her walls was still in danger.

"Batman, his little partner and his also younger friends go after the people," she thought. "They need to narrow their horizons onto the people who bringing nature to its knees."

There were other members who were connected to the Green, like Swamp Thing, Flora Black and Suzy Linden, but even Demeter, the Greek goddess of nature, would have disapproved of their compassion towards humanity and if humanity was more important than nature…she was going to give them a taste of their own medicine.

A virus was all she needed to make humanity crawl on its knees for their crimes against Mother Nature, a virus was efficient to kill off every member of the grass family, a virus was the most important ingredient needed to see humanity resort to cannibalism.

Poison Ivy, as she called herself, was willing to kill the very thing she loved the most for the most evil plan she had concocted yet: creating a famine that would kill every _homo sapien_ but herself and then starting the world all over again with herself as Earth's sole passenger. Meanwhile, she would be safe and sound inside her little greenhouse…waiting for her plan to come to fruition.

First, the virus would strike Gotham City, then Metropolis, then the crops of Smallville and finally…the world. Meanwhile, her lair would be guarded by hungry Venus fly traps that would threaten those who would try to invade her garden for food, Kryptonite-laced thorns that could penetrate even the strongest of Kryptonians like Superman and his family, vines that could never be severed by the sharpest of Themysciran swords and creepers that would deflect the powers of Captain Marvel and the Martian Manhunter.

All Ivy had to do was wait, as the food supply was cut off and once the last human left his home, the Earth would be hers for the greening.


	2. Escape from Gotham City

One year later…

Dick Grayson, Nightwing, had been sleeping with Barbara Gordon, Batgirl when he got the call on his cell from Wally West, Kid Flash. His right hand reached for it on the stand next to the alarm clock and once he had felt it in his palm, he spoke into the ear-piece muttering a single "Hello?"

"Rob, it's Wally. Are you ready now? They're going to close the city in half-an-hour."

Dick yawned.

"Yeah, I'm ready."

He turned over to his girl and said.

"Barb…time to get going. We have to leave right away."

Barb, who was already awake, was on her way to the room of Jason Todd, the second Robin. The only other occupants in Wayne Manor, besides Alfred the butler, were Megan Morse, Miss Martian and her own beau, Kon-El, Superboy. Both were dressed in their PJs when they met Barbara outside of Jason's door.

"What is it?" Megan was the first to ask.

"Wally called us about…."

She stopped herself, knowing what was currently happening outside the manor's material world. Then she shook her head and forced it out of her mind.

"Just get dressed, I'll wake Jason for you."

"But we weren't going to," Kon-El objected.

Barbara stopped to face the couple.

"Of course, you weren't. I just assumed you would."

Another thought crossed Megan's mind.

"Where are we going to meet the others?"

"Outside the city's limits. Wally's bringing them in his uncle's car."

Then she disappeared into Jason's room, where they could hear her attempts at waking the rude boy.

"Get up, Jason."

"Blow it out your ass, Babs, I'm sleeping."

"Do you want to be here when the city's gassed?"

"No?"

"Then get up and start packing!"

Next came the sound of ruffling clothes, followed by more expletives from Jason that came under his breath.

Dick could remember back to a year ago when he was at the Nest, a fancy high-top restaurant that had once been managed by the Penguin, who used it to gather signatures from wealthy customers and he wanted to be arrested to meet the county's greatest forger. As Robin, he and Batman put a stop to that plan. Following it's change in management, in the memory he was currently seeing, he was with Bruce and his neighbors J. Devlin Davenport and the Drakes.

The wealthy men (and woman) were served with dishes of Maison and beef ragout. They supposed to meet with Vicki Vale, but she had other matters to attend to, namely her job. She was at the _Gazette_ , overseeing reports of a new virus that had been popping up…right in the very center of Gotham. No one else seemed to care, they were obstinate and ignorant, confident that life was going on just as normal. The news was eventually broadcast on TV and displayed throughout the internet, but at this stage, they were nothing but mere rumors. Even Bruce and his fellow neighbors caught wind of this on their tablet phones.

"You know, Bruce," Dana Drake was saying. "I'm surprised the _Gazette_ hasn't been reporting anything else about the reconstruction of Washington after that big battle with the Justice League. I think the government is trying to hush everything up as to what we could do with our industries now that the EPA's been totaled."

Bruce, knowing the answer, swallowed his piece of beef whole down his throat and his tone went serious…the dead seriousness of his alter-ego.

"All I can say is Dana, is that Pamela Isley won't like that."

Dick agreed.

"Yeah, she thinks we're not the only ones who deserve to be here. We had better be careful with the way we manage our factories, Bruce, I wouldn't want a certain plant lady giving mankind a huge slap in the face again."

Davenport chuckled.

"You're joking, Dick. Even with the EPA out of commission for the time being, there's still the law."

"The law is corrupt here," Jack Drake corrected him. "Even with Commissioner Gordon's help, we can't have anybody like Thorne or Maroni locked behind bars. The only people we can rely on are superheroes, even some who are not allied with the Justice League."

They soon had worse than that. After the first month of Poison Ivy's solitude, the virus had completely effect Gotham's crops and was soon heading to Metropolis by the wintertime, where the snow became toxic, causing coughing fits from those who swallowed it. Snowball fights, as it was known, had become a thing of the past and when summer rolled around, the greenhouse effect was starting to engulf a grand eighty percent of the East Coast. Around that time, Barbara was at a supermarket where meat packages were disappearing from shelves, having no hint of fresh new stocks returning from the slaughterhouse. Cattle animals were apparently turning into an endangered species and pretty soon, so would they.

Barbara was now dressed in her Batgirl outfit when she approached the Batmobile. Although it could usually accommodate two people, there was still enough room for Jason to sit in the back between the two front seats, his hands clutching them being his seat belts.

Alfred the butler, came to see them off.

"I wish I would be coming with you, young masters, but my brother Wilfred has offered me my previous position back in the armed forces. I have to fight for the sanity of this world."

As much as she tried not to be too emotional, Barbara gave Alfred a hug while Dick and Jason saluted him.

Megan, knowing that their Bioship had been impounded after Wally decided to take it for a thrill ride, saw alternate means of transportation in a pastel blue Cadillac station wagon from the early seventies, reminding her of her sitcom days. She drove, while Kon took the passenger seat after loading the top and rear wagon with two sleeping bags, pots, pans, two boxes of corn and a bag of rice next to cheese flavored snacks, including Kryptonian-themed cereal boxes and colorful fruit packs resembling the dead planet's flora, fauna and crystals. Kon was well-equipped with Lex Luthor's shield slappers, already sticking one to his right shoulder, but even with the artificial ability to fly, having to carry all of this with Megan's help would be much too difficult to handle.

He said to Meagan in a calm voice.

"Grandfather Jonathan's farm is stocked with enough supplies to satisfy an army for months, maybe even years."

"As long as the virus doesn't kill it," Megan replied as she turned the key.

Her eyes were locked dead onto the road before the Batmobile's turntable. The Batmobile itself went first while Megan followed them behind. As they drove onto the main road, not looking back to watch Alfred waving them good bye, Megan's thoughts went back to her uncle, the Martian Manhunter. It was shameful to see that her own flesh and blood had to disappear along with the rest of the Justice League when they had figured out the root cause of the virus.

Batman had suspected Poison Ivy and he interrogated Harley Quinn (the only human Ivy liked next to Catwoman) on her current whereabouts. But even after she denied all information, it was clearly obvious that the Venus fly traps guarding her lair was an obvious sign that she was still inside, waiting for mankind to treat the Earth as it should have been treated long ago.

But when they got there, an unwelcome visit from the home of the villainess of vines had its disadvantages. Before Superman could even fly off, every last member of the League was dragged to the floor by vines with sharp thorns that brought torturous venom into their bloodstreams. Rather, it weakened them rather than killing them. Within the next minute, they were inside Ivy's lair, hanging completely upside down in sickly green cocoons as she walked over to them, an evil smile pursed across her poisonous lips.

"A day of reckoning is coming, heroes," Ivy told them. "Once the last human being is dead, the Green will reclaim this planet and I will no longer have to put up with man's industrialization destroying it."

"So you must be the cause of the virus," Batman noted.

"Obviously, yes. After the battle in Washington weakened the EPA to a minimum, I decided to take action…by doing something that I should have done a long time ago when I first embraced the Green."

"So you are willing to create a mass extinction event because of our destructive ways?" Wonder Woman was appalled. "On Themyscira, we treat nature with respect and so do the Atlanteans."

"Don't forget us Thanagarians," said Hawkman from beneath his growing cocoon. "We basically worship the fauna of birds, hence our monikers."

His wife Shayera glared at Ivy.

"You fucking bitch," she gritted under her teeth. "Do you think we will let you get away with this?"

Ivy smiled deviously.

"Of course you will. Once my toxins turn you into the very trees that you deserve to be, the world will have no one to protect its citizens and all of humanity will have is each other…for dinner."

With a sinister chuckle, she walked closer to Batman.

"Since we both strive to see evil-doers punished, we could have been…a most extraordinary team, but since you care for your precious mammals rather than the plants that provide you with the daily food and water you consume…you are now part of the problem."

She moved closer to his head and even though Batman didn't want it, he was forced to feel the poisons and the toxins secreting from Ivy's lips pouring into his throat.

Superman, weakened by the Kryptonite laced vines, was next, followed by Flash and the Green Lanterns. Then the Atom was crushed, Doctor Fate met his fate and the female members of the league were slowly turning into bark, still and horrified figures that would forever remind Poison Ivy of who her enemies were and why she concocted her plan in the first place.

Back in Megan's car, as they crossed over the bridge, Kon, head low and eyes solemn, decided to brighten up the mood by conversing with his girlfriend.

"Megan, you know about the Kents right?"

"Absolutely."

"Do you think of them as nice?"

"I think they will be. Aren't farm people usually nice? Even if they don't have much to do?"

"Well, yeah, but some can be pretty cranky at times. Look at all the famers you see on TV, shaking their fists at trespassers."

Megan laughed.

"That's just a stereotype."

Kon countered this.

"You think so? I overheard Clark talking to Bruce the other day about buying his father's farm so they could bring in supplies in light of the famine. They also mentioned something about the air force slaughtering us with nerve gas for the sake of survival. 'If the unthinkable were to happen, Clark,' Bruce said to him. 'We may need to take drastic measures. You may need to tell your parents that it is for their own good.' But then Clark says 'Bruce, I will not have you put words into my mouth regarding the ultimate fate of the family who raised me since I was a baby!' The argument went on and on until they saw me and kicked my ass out of there."

"So they still treat you like a child…"

Megan lowered her head in mourning.

"Like Uncle J'onn."

"You are you know."

Her face lit up at Kon's reply.

"What do mea—oh! Ha, ha! Hello, Megan! If I lose my virginity, I become a woman."

Then, as if her powers were extended to clairvoyance, the next thing Megan saw was red. The red imagery of a man assaulting a woman in the most extreme way.

Barbara, in the Batmobile, was frightened on the inside. But it became external when she heard an explosion and people running towards them, but not at the Batmobile directly…at shops, at stores, at restaurants, hauling their loads onto a truck as the GCPD struggled to keep them under control. A riot control van raced into the scene to pacify the mob, but the Batmobile and Megan's car continued to drive through, away from this display of collapsing society and humanity and further down to the façade of Gotham Academy, away from the blaring sirens, the firing of guns from roofs and faces of those who were mad with starvation and the horrible sights of anarchy.

While trying to recover from that horrible scene, Megan asked Kon.

"So all we have to do is take the main road, right?"

"Right?"

"But where do we meet Wally and the others?"

"Somewhere outside the city limits, that's what Dick told me. But even with our powers, we might need something for the non-powered, like Green Arrow…firearms."

That vision of red came into Megan's mind again. This time, it was that of a man peering over a dead general.

It was Jason's suggestion that they should stop there at the academy to pick up their neighbor Tim Drake, who was currently bunking there with his parents out of town. They were going to need some extra company in his opinion.

"You sure about this?" asked Nightwing.

"Sure," Jason said. "We may not have enough room in the Batmobile, but at least I can persuade him to join us. After all, it's the youth who survive, not the old."

Inside, they found Tim accompanied by his current date, Stephanie Brown (everyone nicknamed her "Spoiler" for her constant knack of giving away movie spoilers). The teachers saw to it that Tim would be permitted to leave the school and Stephanie wanted that request.

"What about your parents?" asked Tim.

"Same as yours, in Vietnam trying to find a cure for the virus. I'm not sure how to get ahold of them and now…"

She gulped, dreading the following words.

"There have been reports of cannibalism there."

Stephanie nearly burst into tears as she hugged her beau, longing for the safe green pastures of the world outside Gotham. Even Jason's roguish heart was melted upon seeing this. So, of course, it was agreed that Stephanie should join them on their trek.

As for Megan and Kon, they had gone elsewhere…a gun shop right next to one of the Maroni crime family's fronts. To their surprise they saw Roy Harper, the Red Arrow and his girlfriend Cheshire, whose real name was Jade Nguyen, confronting the owner, who was giving a strict "no guns no permit" sort of talk.

"We need some guns if my partner here is willing to fend for herself. She can't rely on her fists alone you know."

But the owner, Mr. Hugh, had shook his head no.

"As I said before: You need a permit."

"I'll show you my permit."

That was all Cheshire had to say. First, she gave him a right uppercut, driving him to the floor. Her fingers formed the shape of a knife as she broke the glass to smithereens, the guns were now exposed to all and when Mr. Hugh recovered, Cheshire fired a shot aimed directly at his stomach. Megan and Kon cringed, even more so when she turned over her right shoulder and grinned.

"Well, are we gonna meet the others, or not?"

The two young heroes slowly nodded their way out of their traumatized state.

It was the break of dawn when they arrived at the city limits. The rest of the team, Wally, Rocket, Zatanna, Artemis and Aqualad were there in Barry's car, a red and yellow van that he dubbed the Flashmobile. After a quick hug between Nightwing and Kid Flash as well as a few greets, they noticed a pair of policemen, whom Barbara recognized as Harvey Bullock and Clancy O'Hara, guarding the city limits. So they quickly hopped into their cars and raced down the road just as a news bulletin reporting all cars to remain within the limits or face death was announced on the police radio.

When the policemen saw this, O'Hara asked.

"Should we go after them?"

But Bullock, knowing that the drivers were superheroes, plainly shook his head.

"It's either us, or them."


	3. On the Road

The road was long, but it was soon to cascade into loneliness. Pretty soon, it would become dangerous and never lonely or dull, shaken with dead life and rogue, wild faces. The quartet of cars turned a curve, crossed over a steel bridge, then headed west towards the safer confines of Smallville. In the Batmobile, Barbara was looking back at the city she called home, depressed and lonely to be thinking about her father and wondering if he was still alive. She turned to Dick and asked.

"There is no other way, is it?"

"No," Dick replied bluntly.

In Wally's car, Zatanna, while longing for her father and cousin Zachary, was bored.

"Why couldn't we just fly to Smallville?"

"You remember what happened to the Bioship," Aqualad reminded her. "It's no use of travel without an aircraft and I don't think Superboy would find it comfortable if he carried all of us."

Wally's eyes perked up at the idea of this road trip.

"Come on, guys. It'll be like that Muppet movie. Getting there is half the fun."

And he played "Holiday Road" on his iPod, which came swooning out of the internal subwoofers.

"At least I'm not the one who's gonna be doing all the shooting," muttered Artemis while reading from an old issue of Vue Magazine.

In the car of Megan, the usual romance was blossoming between her and Kon.

"In case anyone attacks me…will you take them by surprise?"

Kon just stared at her sudden drop in femininity.

"Well…it would make a good plan, but I think you're capable of doing the same."

Passing over another bridge, Megan looked out of the car window at a brown river. Poison Ivy's seemingly uncharacteristic, but desperate plan was working faster than expected. She prayed that they would reach the farm as soon as possible.

In Roy's roadster of a wagon, Cheshire asked.

"How long are we going to be up there? On the Kent's farm? Doesn't Superman's cousin Kara live there?"

"Yes," Roy answered. "and so do the old folks that Superman calls 'Ma' and 'Pa'. I hear they're fun people."

"Then it looks like we're gonna have a smashin' good time up there, aren't we?" teased Cheshire.

The two smiled, content with their fates.

In the Batmobile…

"I wonder what Jonathan and Martha will think about Roy and Cheshire."

Barbara was saying this to Dick, whose mask clad eyes were narrowed on the road.

"All they need is give them some food and they'll be on their way."

Through the psychic link, Megan overheard their voices, predicting a flash of red closed over a man loading his M1. Yet Batgirl was more concerned with her own personal problems.

"I'd rather you'd not hang out with Roy, Jason," she instructed. "You two have too much in common."

"Is that so?" Jason's Robin mask seemed to narrow with his cocky smile and it made Tim and Stephanie nervous.

But Tim, who now had the knowledge of the Bat-Family's identities, tried to score a point.

"There's a very logical reason behind this, Jason. Or should I say Robin?"

"You can call me whatever you want."

Jason crossed his arms and let the motion of the Batmobile guide him to a quick rest.

"I hope Cheshire's nice," mused Stephanie.

A man's voice came from the radio, everyone recognizing it as David Clark of WXAM.

"There are reports of even more serious outbreaks, particularly in Star City, Opal, Gateway and Midway. In the case of Midway, official contacts have been lost. In view of the disturbances, there is some danger that the country might lapse into anarchy."

The team gulped their worst fears down their throats, but at least they were safe from traffic when they stopped at an open field of wheat that was starting to die and sat down to update their route. Even with the Batmobile's computer guiding the way, everyone needed some fresh air.

A trio of F1 fighters soared above them as Batgirl drank some water from a bat-flask.

"They must be from Hal's station of command," she commented.

She huddled closer to Nightwing, Miss Martian and Superboy, who were with Cheshire and Red Arrow. Wally and his passengers were having their own picnic…of rations that Wally picked up from Central City before they left. Robin and Tim came out a few seconds later while Stephanie stayed in the car, Jason asking Miss Martian.

"Yo, Megan, can we sit in Wally's wagon? I wanna see things better."

"Why can't you just ride in the Batmobile?" Megan questioned him.

"I like having a view as opposed to my iPhone," Tim crossed his arms before turning back to the Batmobile. "And I'm Stephanie won't mind, do you Steph?"

He could see the girl shaking her head no.

"Do whatever you want," Nightwing said without a sigh. "We just need to continue on towards West Virginia."

"The roads are unfriendly there," Red Arrow told them. "I know this, because Oliver and I met some of Clock King's men turned mad there when we went to check out the progress of the virus."

"Why would they be there?" asked Cheshire.

"They must have wandered off from Star City in search of their boss. He went missing last year, you know. For all I know, they probably hitched a train and got off there."

Batgirl tried to change the subject.

"Well…I am willing to get to Smallville even if it takes us all night."

"The main thing," Nightwing stated. "Is to keep clear of population centers. They're all whelmed."

Then he stood up, announcing in a strong voice.

"All right! Does anyone have to use the toilet?"

Kid Flash, Artemis, Rocket, Miss Martian, Cheshire and Tim all raised their arms.

"Good, 'cause I don't want to stop later."

Batgirl directed her right index finger to Miss Martian.

"Megan, that spot looks okay."

They went together to piss, while Cheshire walked curiously over to Nightwing.

"Can I do anything for you?"

Nightwing just gave her the bat-glare.

"No."

His voice was raw like Batman's and his eyes went to her green skimpy outfit.

"But dress warmly. You might get a cold, Chessy."

"I'm never cold," Cheshire shook her head. "And please, call me Jade."

But still, she and Roy were sharing the same toilet, as such couples should do in this act of love. Yet with the way she said her name, it was enough to make Nightwing blush as he scratched the back of his head with his right hand.

With "Movin' Right Along" blasting from Wally's wagon, the quartet of cars were speeding down the road once more. But Cheshire was having a petty row with Red Arrow.

"I'd rather you'd not be so flirtatious," Roy warned her.

Jade cared less about his feelings.

"So what? I was trying to be friendly."

"But not that way. I don't want you to shove it down your throat."

Before they could speak anymore, David Clark's voice came on the radio once more.

"In Metropolis, martial law has been enacted by Mayor Aubrey James."

Dick, hearing this in the Batmobile, narrowed his eyes.

"What bullshit. Why doesn't he mention anything about Bruce? All they ever do is just fiddle while Gotham City burns."

"In Bludhaven," Clark continued. "An attempt has been made by organized mobs to break through military barricades set up early this morning by the GCPD, following their temporary ban on travel. Army quarters expect to have the situation in hands."

Batgirl's eyes were narrowed down to Nightwing's squints.

"God, Ivy, what have you done?"

Little did they know about Roy and Jade's roadster coming alongside them.

"Wanna pass them?" Jade asked her love life.

Roy smiled and turned up the radio volumes. Wally saw the overpassing from his wagon and his emotions went cocky.

"Oh, so it's a race now is it?"

"You can catch him," Jason smiled. "Unless your car doesn't have a souped-up engine."

Wally shot Robin a deathly glare and pressed on as Cheshire urged Red Arrow to step on it.

"However," Kid flash told the two boys and his other passengers. "If we do catch them, we won't over pass them like they did to the Batmobile."

The small chase took them to a railroad crossing, where the line traveled to the Horseshoe Curve. Miss Martian and Superboy, now far behind, had to stop when the gates closed on them. It made Kon want to growl at the thought of being left behind but Megan asked.

"Where's the train?"

Then Kon had his own idea.

"I'll push the gates aside."

But he never got the chance. Once he stepped out of the car, he felt sweat, followed by the flash of a green saber made of kryptonite that forced him to shield his eyes. Followed by a flaming lighter that took Megan by surprise as she was dragged out of the car by a second man who dragged her and the weakened Kon into a bush.

When Nightwing noticed how far behind Megan's car was, he and the others drove back. It was still there fortunately along with the burning smell of fire coming around a bush that was not too far from where they were.

"Help!" came the voice of Miss Martian from the psychic link. "This man is trying to force me."

In an open field where the bonfire was taking place around Miss Martian, Superboy tried to force his way through his weakness.

"Let her—!"

He was cut off by the man who threw another blow at him. Superboy could easily see that they were deranged men of Clock King who were well prepared since the last time they met the young heroes.

When Superboy was forced to the ground, watching the other man struggle with his girlfriend who tried to crawl away from the flames, the man with the kryptonite was gripping his shirt. The struggle was so hard and brutal that the man was pulling too hard on the top, his hands covering the House of El insignia. He pulled and he pulled, then after a third hard tug, there came a rip amongst the top of the black fabric, exposing Superboy's chest. Then with an even louder rip, the shirt came clean off. The man prepared to plunge the kryptonite dagger into his chest…

Megan nearly had the worst of it. As the man holding her tried to do the same with her white top, she delivered a very hard uppercut. So hard that it caused the man's jaw to bleed. Fortunately for her, the man was shot in the right temple when he got back up again and so was his partner, who was more wounded than dead. The shots came from Red Arrow, finally putting his guns to good use.

"Don't shoot me!" protested the man with the kryptonite as the now-shirtless Superboy got to his feet and blew out the bonfire.

But Roy would have none of it.

"If you were black," he gritted. "I would smack you so hard, you would end up looking lighter than Michael Jackson. Besides, the guilty don't deserve to die as quick as the innocent."

Superboy saw his cowering attacker and glared, a cold icy stare that ironically led to red lasers coming out of his pupils. The corpse collapsed to the ground, releasing his grip on the Kryptonite dagger.

Rocket, after taking a brief once over on Superboy's topless state, inspected the three piece remains of Superboy's shirt.

"Will you be all right without a shirt?" she asked.

"Sure," Superboy said this like it was nothing. "I'm the Boy of Steel, the cold won't bother me."

He flexed his muscles, turning Megan on.

It was getting dark when they passed through Kentucky. The cars rolling silently down the road were so far as successful from attracting attention. Connor was asleep in Megan's car, letting her drive while he used her cape for a blanket. Wally's passengers were asleep while he himself tried to keep his eyes open. Red Arrow, Cheshire and those occupying the Batmobile were fully awake to hear David Clark's broadcasting.

"Under existing marshal law, a curfew from eight p.m. to eight a.m. will go into effect immediately in the United States and anyone seen on the streets during those hours will be shot immediately—get away from there!"

The mood suddenly changed as well as a new spokesman who was also male.

"This is the city's emergency committee in Gotham. We've taken charge of this station. The former government headed by Mayor Aubrey James has fled the country. Stand by for an emergency announcement."

"It's all falling apart so fast," Nightwing muttered.

Jade found it rude. It woke her up from a pleasurable dream.

"Do we have to listen to this racket all night?"

"Yes," Roy told her. "It will give us something to keep ourselves in bright spirits."

The new broadcaster continued.

"This is Gotham. We bring you the first bulletin of the emergency committee. The facts are these. We found out that the former government was about to execute a plan to drop nerve gas bombs on American cities. It was calculated that half the country's population would be murdered while the rest would survive."

"Now they are really starting to panic," Nightwing muttered.

By open daybreak, over another river damaged by Ivy's actions as well as man's, the team was just driving through the bottom of Illinois when….

"GET HIMMM!"

Another gang of henchmen gone bad were attacking a group of superheroes. They seemed to be around their age and wearing cool and colorful costumes of awesomeness. One was a blue fellow with feelers like a beetle's, the second one was a girl with black hair, black collar and jacket and blue jeans with dark boots and the third was a green guy with amphibian features that caught Aqualad's attention. He immediately drew the powers of himself into his body and threw a huge blast of water that swept the henchmen away.

"Kaldur?" asked the green guy.

Kaldur turned counterclockwise.

"La'gaan? What brings you outside of Atlantis?"

"To help the surface world in light of this disaster. Atlantis is safe, but these two and your team could be my answer to salvation."

He gestured his right hand to the boy and girl.

"This is Blue Beetle and Traci Thirteen."

" _Hola,_ " the beetle waved his right hand as Traci did the same.

After the trio took their place in Wally's wagon, they continued on for another five miles before they stopped to rest. Again, they were listening to the radio while sitting outside. Jason and Tim, chomping on M&Ms, heard the committee report. Stephanie, silent and calm, smoothed her upper arms.

"The emergency committee is making arraignments for collecting whatever food is available and having it fairly rationed out. If the country only shows the spirit of the events that followed 9/11, we can pull through. Any action against the citizen's committee will be severely dealt with. Stand by for further bulletin."

"Stand by?"

Nightwing just narrowed his eyes into that signature bat-glare and sat down next to Batgirl, having walked from the dashboard of the Batmobile. He was joined shortly by Kid Flash, trying to brighten the mood with little results.

"It very interesting. Just two days ago, we were still a civilized country. Why did Poison Ivy, out of all the bad guys in the world have to punish us with a virus?"

"You know how protective she is of plants," Nightwing told him. "I guess we were thinking too much about ourselves to think about what's really important in life…taking care of our world. If we still had the Bioship, we could easily move to a new world."

"Where?" asked Blue Beetle. "Oa?"

"They're too far," Batgirl tried to argue. "And none of this would be happening if that battle in Washington never took place."

"What else could we do?" Nightwing sighed. "It was our duty."

Miss Martian, who had been sitting on a picnic blanket rubbing Superboy's washboard abs, frowned sadly at their conversation. But it didn't last long when Nightwing to his feet and announced.

"All right everybody! Time to move on!"

Superboy stood up, stretching his exposed arms as he comforted Megan.

"You know, if I could change things, I would."

"Of course, you would," she kissed his left nipple. "But Batgirl is so upset that…she can't even think about it."

Getting back into her car, they drove all the way to the border of Kansas where they found a trailer hooked up to a tractor, completely blocking the road. Nightwing went out to meet the two men standing guard.

"I just want to let you all know," Zatanna was starting to say. "That if worse comes to worse, let me use my magic."

"Why bother?" Aqualad told her. "That will only cause even more anarchy and we don't want to resort to that, now do we?"

Zatanna sat in defeat as the Bat-Family spoke with the tractor owners. But to their surprise, other men with firearms came from the behind the trees and forced them out of their cars. Jason had a bit of a struggle with one before he was joined by Tim, Steph and Wally's group.

"What is the meaning of this?" Nightwing threatened to use his sticks on the owner.

"We are doing what we have to for our own town," the man sneered. "I am certain that you supers have had a taste of survival?"

"Yes," came the voice of Superboy. He was starting to regret his decision of going bare chested for the rest of the journey as the cold pricked his Kryptonian skin.

Nightwign was almost heartbroken to see the Batmobile being driven off to the nearby town as their belongings were thrown out onto the road.

"There is a pretty stiff penalty for what you are doing."

But Nightwing's words were no match for the man he was facing.

"Starvation is a greater penalty than this," the owner scolded him. "But I'll give you the fair share of taking anything we can use."

Batgirl was appalled.

"What kind of people are you?"

The man smiled a shit-eating grin.

"The same people you are."

Now the team was feeling truly powerless.


	4. On Foot

Now that they had to walk, the team's responsibility was their load to bear, right inside their suitcases. Kid Flash, knowing that most of the others were not as fast as him, chose not to go fast. He didn't feel like having to carry his suitcase, but at least his iPod was trying to keep his mood upright.

Red Arrow, however, was making a hash out of it until he noticed a fallen man with a Smith & Wesson pistol in his right hand. He picked it up.

"I thought they'd come in handy," he told Nightwing.

"Very intelligent, but you still have your arrows."

"And when the arrows run out?"

"Then we'll have to find a farmhouse with arms, cars and petrol," remarked Kid Flash.

"No more cars," Nightwing groaned. "They're nothing but an invitation to an ambush. And if there's one thing Batman taught me, is that we shouldn't kill our enemies even if they deserve it."

"Batman never understood the consequences," Robin said. "I say we make it a survival of the fittest by killing all the supervillains and letting us heroes be the only ones worth living."

Nightwing just ignored this and unfolded his map.

"We have about 50 miles to the Kent farm. I think we can do it in two days without any trouble."

But what Miss Martin saw next was an evil vision of motorcycle gangs passing and jeering at them. She nearly fainted at this, but she made sure that none of her companions would notice.

The team soon made heavy weather of the journey as a mist settled in and the effects of Ivy's virus had now taken some grass blades as well as animals. They found a goat that looked flattened being watched over by a young man of dark black hair. From the length of it and his skin color, they could tell he was an Indian. His words caused the team the stop in their tracks and give him the pity and attention he deserved.

"It may not seem like it today, but this Earth's climate is getting warmer because all of this pollution has been keeping the heat in and the polar ice caps will melt. Then everybody will drown. A lot of the sun's rays will get through and everybody including my people will die."

The team nearly cringed at his words, but it was enough to give Wally the goosebumps. The young man stood up and his face was friendly compared to that cold stare as he offered his right hand to Nightwing.

"Tye Longshadow. Apache."

"Nightwing. Acrobat."

"Is he coming with us?" Tim asked.

"Yes," Batgirl nodded. "We could always use a real voice of reason like this kid."

Blue Beetle approached the boy.

"Do you know if there is a farmhouse around here?"

"Yes," Tye pointed his left index finger to the little cottage on his left. "My folks and I live right over there."

When the team arrived at the house, Nightwing and Robin went first, walking up to the door while the former rung the doorbell and out came a middle-aged Indian who looked peaceful and content. He was quite obviously Tye's father.

"May I help you?" asked Mr. Longshadow.

"We would like some of your food if you may," Nightwing was the one to say.

Then Robin asked.

"Do you have any…potatoes?"

"We do," Mr. Longshadow replied. "But with this decay in nature, it is best to leave them preserved."

Some two seconds of silence followed, then there was a shot from both the inside, the scream of his wife and before he knew it, Mr. Longshadow had fallen victim to a madman in a greaser jacket. Nightwing and Robin ran like the dickens, hiding behind the side of the house before Robin threw a wing-ding at the man looking around in vain. It plunged into the back of his head before he too fell dead, face first to the floor.

When inside, they saw Mrs. Longshadow looking like she had been sawed in half by a shotgun and felt pity for the now orphaned Tye.

"I'll move the bodies to the cellar," said Nightwing.

"Everything is so different now," reminisced Tim as he and the Bat-Family ate jam sandwiches in silence. "Now we have to fight to live….like in the westerns."

Roy was fiddling with an old radio.

"I think I've got something," he told the others.

The man's voice on the radio spelled nothing but doom and gloom.

"All evidence indicates that France, Germany and Italy and all of Western Europe along with a major part of Asia, South America and Africa have ceased to exist as part of the civilized world. In the midst of complete anarchy and mass starvation, the horrors of cannibalism are already widespread. Numbers of aircraft have already been arriving in Canada and this country. By order of the President, the people in it have been granted asylum. The Prime Minister of France and senior members of the French government and members of the Belgian Royal Family are in this country. It is reported in Halifax, Nova Scotia that the British Government and Royal Family have landed there safely. Here is what the President had to say…"

"We are shocked at the horrors of this happening…we must now preserve the heritage of man's greatness."

Unable to hear anymore, Roy turned the radio off and dead silence filled the room. Nightwing broke it.

"All right, let's go."

Superboy found a nearby jacket that was as blue as Superman's costume and put it on, wrapping his body around it.

"What's the matter, Connor?" Megan asked him. "I thought you liked showing off your body."

"Yes. It's just that I have to be modest sometime."

And Kon was right for one thing: it became useful when they went through a sun shower. Tye, having packed all of his belongings into a single brown suitcase, took one last look at his home before moving on. It was also upsetting for him to see all the animals who lived around the house dead from eating the virus infected plants.

"Ivy loved animals," Batgirl said. "But why so many."

"Simple," Artemis said. "She's going too far with this."

The hills and the fields were now starting to look so bare. A respectable Apache that he was, Tye felt like the Crying Indian from anti-pollution commercials of long ago. Deep in his heart, he knew what would happen to everything that lived here.

When the team arrived at a disused barn, Nightwing knew that this would be a perfect place to sleep in for the night. He instructed his best men:

"Roy, Wally. We'll have to take turns on guard duty."

The roof had tiles that were loose and rattled in the wind, keeping Batgirl awake, but Nightwing didn't mind and neither did the others. But still, he decided to console her.

"Can't you sleep, Babs?"

"No."

"The going gets rough as we get closer to Smallville," Nightwing reassured her. "But it will be different."

"At least I'll get to see Kara again," Batgirl tried to brighten her currently dour mood. "And how exactly will it be different besides having food and drinks."

"That we'll be like human beings again…civilized ones."

He paused before lettings his thoughts run wild.

"Can you imagine what will happen once those mobs from Gotham get up here. And military units? Are they just gonna stand by and obey orders?"

Batgirl looked down, making her decision clear.

"I don't wanna talk anymore."

Roy walked up to them.

"Your turn, Dick."

After Barbara successfully managed to find some sleep, Nightwing got up and made his way to the doors. About fifteen minutes later, he was greeted by Jade, looking as though she was waiting for an invitation.

"What are you doing up?" he asked.

"I just couldn't sleep. Do you have a light?"

She produced a white cigarette from her right hand, but Nightwing's tone was firm.

"I don't smoke."

"And I don't envy you one bit, Nightwing, but you've got a load of problems. Why is Batgirl giving you such a hard time?"

"I don't want to discuss this with you."

He turned his head away from her gaze.

"You don't for sure what _we_ could do together. Tomorrow, we might all be dead."

At last, he faced her.

"I think you had better get back to bed, Jade."

"All right," she sighed. "Can I say goodnight before I go?"

And without even thinking about it, Cheshire gave Nightwing a huge, smooth, sexy, kiss on the right cheek.

"I thought you would be more careful on guard duty…"

They turned to see a maddened Roy and Nightwing tried to make him see reason.

"Roy, I was only—"

"No excuses. Jade, come!"

Jade, looking frightened, moved an inch behind Nightwing before she felt the right hand of her beau dragging her to his left side.

"Let go of me!" she shouted.

All Nightwing could do about it was stare and keep his arms crossed, expecting to see her released from his grasp.

"I've got my pride, Dicky-boy. I thought about killing her when were still enemies, but the price was still high."

Nightwing tried to control his anger.

"Just what are you getting at, Roy?"

"I mean the law…the old law. But there isn't any now…is there?"

"If there were, we should all hang."

"Right, but you know a lot of things, Nightwing, so what kind of law is left?"

"The law of the group for survival."

Now his eyes were narrowed, but Roy remained undeterred as Jade's face flashed with fury.

"And in the head of the family," was his response.

"Still," Nightwing continued. "You should subject yourself to the law of the group."

"I can kill for food, but what about my self-respect?"

His free left hand pulled out the Smith & Wesson, aiming it at Cheshire's throat. She shrieked.

"For God's sake you're breaking my arms!"

"And you're breaking my heart!" Roy shouted before turning to Nightwing. "Now I want my RIGHTS!"

Nightwing just shook his head no.

"Just send her away, Jade. I'm sure she can fend for herself."

"Better yet…"

He pulled the trigger down and great patch of blood now soaked her throat and the right half of Red Arrow's face. The sight reminded Nightwing almost too much of Two-Face if his deformity had been located on the right side.

"What will I tell them?" asked a now-regretful Red Arrow.

Nightwing's reply was simple.

"The truth."

"That's horrible," replied Batgirl once she found out. "Why didn't you stop him?"

"There was nothing I could do," Nightwing replied.

Soon they were back to hiking through the wilderness again, where they came to an old man who took little notice of them as the team conversed.

"The thing that bothers me the most," Superboy was saying to Miss Martian. "Is that I killed a man…even if he deserved it."

"I'm sure you did the right thing," she said softly. "Maybe Superman would have been proud of you."

Through the rocks and over the barren landscapes, the team got through all right until they came across a murdered couple outside of their car…in a picnic setup of all things. Kid Flash kept Robin and Tim back as Nightwing and Batgirl inspected the scene.

"They've been dead for no more than an hour," Nightwing told his partners.

Further gunshots from the distance brought crying crows and screaming pigeons before the team found their strength to move again.

"I wonder what is happening at home. Dad and…"

"Don't think about it Babs," Nightwing scolded.

And she was silent just like that for the remaining time to come.

Jason and Tim felt the burden of the luggage weighing them down in their suitcases.

"How I'd love to be in a car right now," Jason murmured. "My legs are killing me."

"We're all exhausted," reprimanded Tim. "Now shut up."

Behind Wally's group were Roy, Kon and Megan. Their complains were restricted down to normal conversations.

"When I was younger," Roy told the two. "I got into some trouble with the Indians for hunting a couple of animals. Don't tell Tye about this, but I got caught selling cigars, seeing how Indians are commonly associated with them."

"Hold up!" called Nightwing in front. "Let's take a rest."

"Anyways," Roy continued. "When Oliver came into my life, he and I did a lot of things that I never really got to do with my _real_ father, the forest ranger. Like seeing westerns about Billy the Kid, Doc Holliday, Wyatt Earp…you know the rest."

"Would you like to sit next to me, Megan?" asked Wally.

"I'll be fine with Connor, thank you!"

"And I'd like to walk with you," Roy locked his right fingers with her left.

This was displeasing Superboy.

"This is neither the time nor the place for romance. Megan is my girl and we'll be doing whatever we like on Grandpa Kent's farm."

"You're not even Superman's son," Roy tensed. "You're just a clone. I know because Green Arrow told me."

Superboy became defensive around Miss Martian.

"You can have any other girl in Smallville except Megan."

But she found her voice.

"Isn't that my decision to make?"

The row ended just like that. When they continued on their way again, they passed ants feasting over a calf's skeleton and some trash which nearly brought Tye to the point of tears. As the sun reached into it's afternoon position, Nightwing could see other costume clad teens dressed in costume.

"Just the sort of group we need: boys and girls with guns."

The group consisted of a boy who appeared to be Mexican, a much older boy with the wings and armor of a Thanagarian, one with green skin and a red suit, one of black skin and blue clothing, a girl of Asian descent, a blond and raven-haired duo of girls bearing Wonder Woman's insignia and a couple whom Kaldur and La'gaan recognized as Tula and Garth, also Atlanteans.

Nightwing tried to be friendly as he approached the large group.

"Hello, where are you off to?"

"Safer pastures," Garth announced. "Tula and I are helping these kids up to Smallville. We believe it is a perfect place for survival given it's state of the crops as well as food supplies."

"What a coincidence!" Kid Flash's eyes widened. "We're going to Smallville, too! The Kent farm is there and it has food."

"And it's easy to defend," added Nightwing. "We can always use some recruits."

"Recruits like us?" asked the Thanagarian youth.

"Yes," Red Arrow stated. "Aren't you all like us?"

The group, knowing very well that mobs would be fighting over every potato patch in the country would turn to savagery and their immediate trust went to the person whom they saw as their new leader.

The Asian girl asked.

"Are you the leader?"

"Yes," replied Nightwing. "And if you do as I say, you'll be all right."

Gaining her trust in this stranger, the girl shook his right hand, giving him her name.

"I'm Asami Koizumi."

"Dick Grayson, but you can call me Nightwing."

"Your name is Dick?"

The group's heads turned to the source of the voicing belonging to the green-skinned boy who blushed red. Nightwing just narrowed his eyes and continued to speak.

"Yes. And if you know better, I'd suggest you line up behind me and identify yourselves."

Each member of the group gave their names: the green boy was Garfield Logan, known to the others as Beast Boy. The boy in blue was Virgil Hawkins who called himself static. The Thanagarian youth was Golden Eagle, whose real name was Charley Parker. The black- and blonde-haired ladies were Cassie Sandsmark and Donna Troy, who called themselves the Wonder Girls. Eduardo Dorado Jr was the Mexican boy and Garth and Tula gave Kaldur and La'gaan the proper Atlantean greeting.

"Eduardo's town was destroyed with only a few things left," Tula told Kaldur. "They barely got away with just a few things left."

When they had all lined up, Roy said to Megan.

"I'll see you at the next stop."

"Okay."

Then she turned to Superboy, whose jacket was open, enough for people to see his chest. But didn't distract Megan from her objective.

"Don't be angry."

"I'm not," Connor muttered. "I love you."

And he readied himself for the long journey ahead. Batgirl was doing her best to hold on as Nightwing called out "Everybody get going!" and they were on their way again. Golden Eagle watched over the group at an altitude of fifteen feet while Virgil sat on his disk, floating most of the way like he was some kind of guru. Passing a couple of power lines, he noticed Eduardo struggling with his bags and thought about helping him, as friends should do in these hard and troubled times that would mark the end of civilization as we know it.

Dead calves and baby animals perturbed their eyes, forcing some of them to look away. Some who saw Virgil's act of kindness, offered to help others with their belongings. Even though some declined the offers, they had very little choice as to what they could do next in the midst of their walking.

Then Batgirl noticed something.

"Nightwing, that house looks deserted. Maybe we can stop there for the night."

"We still have another 25 miles to go, Babs, it's not like anyone's gonna be whelmed after a walk that long."

Batgirl tsked.

"That's what you think, but you're wrong."

The old, abandoned plantation seemed like the perfect place to sleep for the night….but the shadowy exterior had some frightening aesthetics that scared some of Beast Boy's wits. He was sitting down in the dilapidated dining hall with his group mixed with Wally's. Some coughed, lit fires and Superboy was sitting down to a cup of hot cocoa severed to him by Miss Martian.

All silence, however, would soon be interrupted by a shriek that came from Traci Thirteen as she and Golden Eagle investigated the cellar for any valuables. The cause of her scream, was a pale and lifeless woman in a peaceful sleep. Nestled in her arms was a baby. It too was safe and warm, asleep in death. Gathering her courage, Traci clasped her hands into a prayer and whispered.

"God rest their souls."

Everyone was very silent when they left the plantation that early morning. Superboy had high hopes that they would reach the farm quicker once he recognized the landmarks. What he did see however was a wide looking piece of one-story architecture surrounded by a circular field. But the closer they got to it, the more danger he could sense, and it gave him even more goosebumps than monkeys.

An explosion from a bomb came behind the house and Nightwing could only assume that it was an attack.

"Lets turn back into the trees!" he shouted.

And the group of young superheroes made their quick retreat. When Nightwing took a closer glance at the field down below, he could see the occupants firing their own weapons at men in green uniforms…a military unit.

After looking left and right for a route that would not catch their attention, Nightwing ordered.

"Virgil, Tye, see if that field is clear."

He gestured his right index finger to the left and they proceeded in that direction, but turned back quickly.

"More troops," Virgil informed him.

So the group hid onto the right direction, towards a dip. As the soldiers grew closer, Nightwing could see the men more clearly. The general was none other than Sam Lane, Lois Lane's father. He stood before his troops.

"Listen, men. Those fools down there have committed an act of mutiny in that field and they are going to be shot. I do not want my men to share the same fate, so mind you all return to your barracks."

"What if we don't want to?" The obviously younger men said. "We'll starve for weeks."

"You will do as you are told," General Lane spoke lowly.

But such infamous last words can only count as these when the general felt a strong bullet penetrating his stomach. He fell on his back while a sergeant major who was completely on their side threw a spit on his wound.

"He was asking for it," one of the men remarked as they moved down to the smoking ruins.

As soon as they were out of the way, they came to rest by a river. Tye was upset to see a swan dead before her prime amongst the floating fish and eagle.

"We can't drink that," he told the others. "It's polluted."

A shameful look crossed Superboy's face as he sat down, reminiscing with Miss Martin.

"Superman told me that he and Grandpa caught dozens of fish in that river. Now thanks to the factories, you can't find anything."

"But it looks so beautiful," Miss Martin sighed. "Ivy loved nature so much and yet…she does this…we're all to blame for this predicament."

A noisy argument started between Tye and Eduardo, but Batgirl and Nightwing were quick to break it up.

"I saw you hit Tye without justice," Nightwing reprimanded. "Now you can hit him back."

Eduardo did so. He gave Tye a playful slap and the two laughed as they horse played to the ground, before it was time once again to move on.

They continued through dead trees, rocks and dying patches of the grass family and the cold air was starting to irritate Garth's throat. He wasn't sure if he could go on without being back in Atlantis, but Tula helped him to push forward. Golden Eagle was circling around them, Zatanna in her ball, Virgil on his board and the rest were walking on foot. But Wally felt like speed walking and he did not realize he was too far from the group until he noticed something interesting. He ran back to find the others, yelling breathlessly.

"Guys! Look what I found!"

Out there, in an open field, a battle was taking place between a motorcycle gang and a trio of three other heroes: a girl dressed in a purple cloak, one with orange skin and fiery red hair and the other was a black teen decked out in cybernetic armor. They were firing everything they had on the bikers and Nightwing remembered his duty of protecting those in need.

"Let's help them! Charge!"

Raising his right fist into the air, the others dropped their belongings and rushed into the fray. The bikers knew how powerful they were, so they tried their best to avoid the newcomers. Some of the heroes, however, were more concerned with the belongings they left behind.

"What about my pots?" asked Asami.

"Forget your damned pots and fight!" ordered Donna.

She and Cassie jumped onto the backs of two of the motorists, with Cassie asking sarcastically.

"Need a lift, boys?"

The surprised men lost control of their motorcycles and fell off. Jason and Tim dodged some of the ones that came onto them, hoping to see them crash into each other.

"This is just like Custer's Last Stand, isn't it?" he asked Tim.

"I hope not."

Their strategy was successful and Wally got a chance to run past three of them and right hook them off of their motorcycles. Garth, Tula, Kaldur and La'gaan fired water at them and Roy fired his guns to shoot them off, but it was Superboy who saved them in the end. He threw off his jacket, letting the air get into his exposed chest and with one big roar, he fired his lasers upon them and the fuel in their tanks exploded.

As he breathed, recovering from letting all of it out, his friends cheered and whooped, giving him high-fives, pats on the back and even Miss Martin gave him a kiss on the left cheek. But even with this kind of celebration, there was still a lot of road to cover and Nightwing thought it best to save the party until after they took up residence in the Kent farm. Eventually they were introduced to Raven, Starfire and Cyborg, the trio who originally fended off the bikers and were informed about the team's plight.

"I would love to accompany you," said Starfire to Nightwing. "Even Tamaranians such as myself should help the populace of other worlds, even if they don't deserve it."

Nightwing prevented any further advancements from her when he took the lead.

Meanwhile…

"Okay, Teekl, do your thing."

Klarion the Witch-Boy had been sitting for hours in an empty field far away, waiting for a prey perfect to suit the dinner of his cat. A dog seemed to be pretty fitting, it would go against a cat's nature to eat a dog, let alone chase one instead of the other way around. But Teekl, of course, was not like any other cat. He was cat of demonic power and magic bestowed by his master and was obedient to follow his every command.

Teekl did see a dog: a terrier the size of an average pillow. He was minding his own business when Teekl pounced and ripped open his stomach. Klarion, being the demon child of dark arts that he was, saw the raw and tasty nature of the remains, but seeing it there like that brought a clear weakness into his mind and body: morality.

"At least it's better than nothing," he murmured.

But just in case, he still had a sliver of the fresh meat.


	5. Kent Farm: Salvation

The trees were looking fresh, the air was cleaner, the grass looked like it had been cured and Superboy, after wrapping his jacket around his waist (He was still willing to show off his body to the other girls of the group), could only gasp in amazement at the sight of a lovely little house surrounded by the healthiest crops he had ever seen. To put it simply, he shouted.

"Look everyone, we made it!"

Nightwing crossed his arms with a proud smile forming his lips. The house was surrounded by a wall of grey stone and barbed wire on the top.

"That's quite a fortification!"

The team and their friends walked right up to the very door of the gate. It was obviously closed and there was no doorbell of any kind so before Superboy could make his jump, Nightwing called out.

"WE WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK WITH JONATHAN AND MARTHA KENT PLEASE!"

Next came the sound of footsteps. Superboy went in front, while the others, unsure of placing their trust into the Kents, waited out of view. The door opened, and there stood Martha Kent, looking petrified. The same kind of petrification ones feels when he or she sees a ghost.

"I can't believe it," Martha gasped before a smile hit her face.

Hugging Superboy, she added.

"Connor…it's good to see you."

"Thanks, Ma. But I'm not alone."

He turned to the left side and called.

"Hey guys! Come and meet Ma!"

Slowly and doggedly, Nightwing and the others approached the friendly woman and her husband came out of the house as well, his own pistol hidden in his right pants pocket.

"How did you get here?" Jonathan asked. "And where's your shirt?"

"It's a long story," Superboy shrugged. "Can I bring my lot in first? Then you can bring me a shirt."

"Sure thing," Jonathan nodded doubtfully. "But I'm not so sure if we'll have enough room for these youngsters. Nor will the farm be able to support them."

Nightwing came in front of Superboy.

"What if we earned our keep, sir? Me, Batgirl, Robin and the others will cook, clean and even look after the fields."

"Sounds plausible," said Jonathan. "Kara's been inside, hoping to see Clark again. Maybe Connor here can cheer her up."

Superboy smiled the biggest tooth hidden smile ever and rushed into the house at top speed as one by one, the team and their newfound friends entered the fort, Nightwing and Batgirl being the last to go.

Once they were within the safety of the compound, Batgirl looked back at the closing door and asked Nightwing.

"So…safe at last?"

"I dunno, Batgirl. There is a whole big world out there and this one is just so…little."

He turned toward the sun, albeit briefly so that the rays wouldn't blind him.

"When that sun sets, I don't even know if we'll see another dawn. I also don't know if they will ever find a cure for Ivy's virus…but as long as we are together, we will be safe, happy, proud and not whelmed at all."

The two superheroes shared one long kiss before entering the Kent household…knowing very well that their days would soon be numbered.

* * *

The first few days of life on the new farm saw Kid Flash, Cyborg and Garth assisting Raven with the gardening of carrots and rutabagas. Wally hoped that there would be some non-toxic rain coming soon, but mostly it was just sunny with only tap water to feed the crops.

Beast Boy came in with a tray of donuts.

"I bought some food," he announced politely. "Anyone hungry?"

"Not really," Raven said to him. "And as far as I have noticed: your personality seems to be getting less annoying these last few days."

"In times like these, we all deal with this in our own way; some people make nervous little jokes, some people cry, some people scream until their throats grow sore..."

His grin faded from his cheerful demeanor.

"Like my parents used to tell me. When my dad Mark got sick from the virus, which he later passed onto my mom, I would turn into a wolf and howl at the moon. On the night they died and Nicholas Galtry took me in...I turned into something wild...a rhino. I rampaged through the town and when I had learned more about the virus, I knew in an instant that I was making life even worse for the people living in it. I saw one couple with a boy who reminded me of myself and my parents and I thought 'At least they've been spared of the pain I went through.' The boy even looked like me when I was still normal...but then again, normal's overrated."

Kid Flash slowed progress in his work and had that nostalgic gleam in his eyes.

"You know, when my parents and I first heard about the virus, we just brushed it off by singing that damn tune that reminded me of Barney the Dinosaur: _Yankee Doodle Went to Town._ "

"Easy for you to say," Raven crossed her arms. "My father is a demon and while his opinion of the virus is supportive, mine is completely negative and that was how I earned Starfire and Cyborg's trust to join them on the path to survival. I could use my powers to get rid of it, but I think it's too strong...even for me."

Inside the farmhouse, Kon-El and Kara watched from the window, enjoying books like _Anne of Green Gables_ and _Johnny Tremaine_ as they soothed their fears.

"I'm glad all that work hasn't upset them much," Kara said to her "cousin".

After a six second pause, another thought entered her mind.

"How is Kal?"

"I don't know, I think Ivy may have killed him."

Fear started to creep in.

"I'm scared for him, Kon."

"I'm scared too. Why does it always take something like this to make us realize how much we take life for granted?"

"Amen to that," said Artemis from the couch beside them. "I don't think I ever got a chance to tell my family goodbye and when Wally showed up in his car with some of the others...it was too late for me to look back."

"You're not the only one," moaned Golden Eagle from nearby while polishing his helmet. "I lost my family too. Why else do you think I looked up to Katar and Shayera as parent figures? I grew up in an orphanage, but that was a long time ago. If they could get through this, so can I."

"Actually," confessed Superboy. "I think both Hawkman and Hawkgirl are dead."

Charley stopped his polishing and set the helmet down to the floor. Tim, Jason and Stephanie watched him climb the stairs towards the bedrooms.

"Sometimes," Jason mused. "Moms and dads drift apart. I know my folks did."

Tim, looking out at the land, couldn't help but wonder if there was any hope for humanity left.

"You know, when I was with my parents some three years before all of this, we watched a British version of _The Day After_ called _Threads_ , and they were similar to this but...it was about a nuclear war and the conditions were a lot worse. I just can't imagine how much destruction man can do to the place we call home."

It was late at night when Barbara found Dick sitting by a lonely light in the living room.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I just thinking about Bruce. He may be dead."

Dick's voice was starting to break, having not felt this sort of depression since the death of his parents. He covered his eyes with his hands and breathed in a frustrated sigh.

"God, where is he? Where is Bruce now? I don't want to believe that he is dead. Ivy could be keeping him alive since she's got a thing for him-"

He stopped and Barbara sat down beside him on the chair, hugging him from the right hand side.

"Don't think about him now," she soothed. "There will be a lot to do tomorrow: a new place to provide for, food for all and a bright future."

"But what if there isn't any?"

This, however, seemed to be a question that Barbara found too difficult to ask. As far as it was going, the future was looking pretty bleak.

* * *

 _ **This fanfic is not a documentary, but it could be.**_


	6. Epilogue

There was no escaping it; Poison Ivy's virus was attacking crops all over the entire world without letting up. The end of love brought chaos, destruction and all sorts of inhumanity that she would not approve of, but in the end, it was worth it. Whatever happened in Gotham City, Smallville or anything else in this tale, was covered up without a trace to remind those who had caused or witnessed it.

And later, when the last human had died, Poison Ivy came out of her lair, looking outwards to a brand-new world of green that crawled out from the concrete and into the empty lonely world. A world that her powers had created all by themselves without her conscious help, filled with vines covering buildings that did not expose a single brick and streets paved with fields of flowers. She kneeled down to a beautiful red rose that looked so fresh and young, that she had to smell it's loving odor. All was at peace and all was at a perfect ending for her, until…

"Ivy, what have you done?"

Pamela did not have to look back to know that it was the voice of Swamp Thing, flanked by Solomon Grundy and the other members of the Green. But of course, she turned back, stood up and said.

"What have I done? I gave this planet a chance for Mother Nature to start again. This world is better off without people who don't give a damn about flowers."

"By creating a virus that killed your own species?" Flora Black, the Black Orchid, was disgusted with her.

Ivy narrowed her eyes.

"They had it coming. But whatever they have done to their environment with their machines, their factories and stupid oil foundries, I gave them the one final proof that nature will always win."

Alec Holland crossed his arms.

"Powerful words from someone who caused a mass extinction event."

Ivy took one silent pan over the world that she had saved while in repose: all she could hear were the whispering winds. All she could see were the plant covered buildings and clear skies of blue. All she could feel was satisfaction and peace.

"How you grow all this so fast?" Solomon Grundy snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Don't you think it's very obvious?" Suzy Linden told him. "And before you even ask us how we survived….we did the same as Ivy a long time ago. Put ourselves in hibernation until her virus, which thankfully did not affect us, blew over and nature could be reborn again."

But Swamp Thing just shook his head in a complete disapproval over the beauty that Ivy had sacrificed and replenished over the course of what seemed like a century. The reunion surrounding him looked like a reunion of the major heads that created the EPA in the first place. Ivy, however, understood his thoughts.

"Come on, Swamp Thing, look on the bright side for a change."

He gave in.

"All right."

He turned to the Black Orchids.

"Where did you two hibernate?"

"At the Centennial Park in Metropolis right under the statue of Superman. Before Suzy and I went underground, I met a cute tennis instructor who thought I needed…lessons. He asked me, I said yes, but when I felt the conditions of the planet growing worse, I decided to hibernate. The last words I said to him were: 'I'll see you later.'"

She gave a sad sigh.

"Now it seems like I've broken that promise."

"Don't be the only one feeling discouraged, Flora," Tefe Holland said to her. "I was at the zoo and all of those animals were getting sick to their stomachs because of Ivy, so I hibernated under a gorilla pit hoping that they would be spared at least and then…I woke up to find it all empty and covered with rosebuds."

"I guess they died too," Tefe's father Alec sighed. "But at least, if there is any salvation, we have each other to look after this planet."

"Sorry I'm late!"

A familiar voice came from behind the group, her skin a pale green and her blond hair having emerald streaks with that tendril covered jester costume: Harley Quinn.

"My God!" cried Flora. "She's alive!"

"How can you still be alive," Suzy asked. "You'd have to be over 200 by now."

"Nah," Harley shrugged. "One time when I was injured, Red gave me some of that stuff that turned her into what she was. After I saw things were getting crazy, I decided to hibernate like the rest of youse."

"I see," said Swamp Thing incredulously. "But where?"

"Underneath Arkham."

Poison Ivy finally snapped out of her thoughts and finally saw her best friend without any surprise.

"Well, at least I'm glad _somebody_ did the right thing. What do you think of my new world, Harley?"

"Love it, Red. I've got your powers and with Mr. J outta my life, I'm a free woman! I'll bet the in-thing now is green with red."

Most of the surviving party laughed, but not Swamp Thing. The mood in his mind was too dour over the loss of humanity to think about anything. He marched his way to Ivy, who was not all afraid of his growing temper.

"Tending to mankind was our business, Pamela and you only saw the bad in them."

"Greenpeace was not doing it's job. They and the EPA had weakened due to the destruction that they and the superheroes caused. You can call this Hell, I call this Heaven and it is a Heaven on Earth."

"But your actions are something that would only please a devil."

But Poison Ivy had come to far to see her ultimate goal come to fruition. Whether she be a devil or an angel, her heart and her mind were telling her that did the right thing. She took in the beauty of the rose and finally found the right reply.

"Still…there is a lot to do. We have an entire planet to look after…to make sure that it does not face any interruption from alien invaders."

Walking down the empty street from her silent and disgusted followers of the Green, Dr. Pamela Isley, Poison Ivy, was proud, happy and complete with saving the flora of the planet she called home. Planning to wait until a new life would arise and if it threatened the environment once, she knew just exactly how to take care of it.

After all, nature always wins…


End file.
